Christmas time has come....

Alright....so, its cold outside, my windshield is cracked, and a piece of my exhausts heatshield is dragging around under my car as I drive. Oh, and I got stuck in a ditch yesterday because of the snow/black ice under it.

Wisconsin sucks.

Good news, I graduated, I got a resume together, and I found some more stuff online for Project Legend.

Most notably on Yahoo! Auctions Japan, I found some front door panels with the optional tweeters/speakers located near the handles...



Tight right?

So thats it for now.

More blogs/pics/blogs with pics coming soon.

Now lets open some presents!

Phoenix=ICB Motorsports

Last Thursday, I left the single digit degree weather of my home state, Wisconsin, for the warm climate of Arizona. Phoenix to be specific. I did so for a variety of reasons; mostly to see if I could handle living down in the South West. I'm liking what I'm seeing, and despite some unusually rainy weather down here; it's looking promising.

While I've been down here, I took advantage of stopping by the area JDM importer. ICB Motorsports to be specific. I've been frequenting there website (jdmland.com) for a good couple of years now and although they don't have much for my chassis (who does right?) I was able to pick up a few small pieces of my project legend puzzle.

I got a new Spoon 1.35 radiator cap....



and some PIAA H3 Foglight bulbs for my JDM one piece headlights...



I was also able to talk to Matt about getting stuff for my car and pretty much got shut down. Its not really worth his time and energy to seek out stuff for the KA7 chassis when theres so much demand for Civics, Integra's, and S2000's.

Oh well. I got my man Jay in Japan keeping an eye out for some stuff and hopefully, he'll be be able to come across some stuff.

In the meantime....there's always eBay.

Shop victoriously, kid.

Beep Beep N' Beep Beep, Yeah

So I was searching jdmtheory.com today and came across a horn button for my MOMO steering wheel.




To replace the one that came with it......



Personally, when I bought the steering wheel, I liked that it was MOMO but was stuck on the fact that it wasn't the Mugen one that I REALLY wanted. For as we all know...Mugen is Honda Specfic. This new horn button kind of makes up for it though because of the Gold "Honda" inscribed on it.


$55 dolla's though.....Lets see....if I sell a couple more items on eBay its on...
Also, there maybe fitment issues....

More on this later.

Giving Thanks.....a Holiday if you will.

Yeah, I know, its not Turkey-Day yet, but while I'm posting, I'd just like to give thanks anyways.

So in now particular order, here it is. Thanks. If your reading this blog and it has influenced you in any way positively; thanks. To all the other Legend owners out there.....thanks. Thanks for inspiring me, teaching me, and in some cases, showing me what NOT to do when it comes to building a car. Thank you.

Thanks goes out to Shaun Falkner, the close friend of mine who worked ever so hard on my cars aging/rusting body and got it to where it is now. (see prior post)

Thanks Shaun. You've helped make some major power-moves and helped me so very much and on so many levels.

Thanks to my brothers, who don't get too angry with me when I go about purchasing items (usually Japanese) for my car when I owe them money and should probably have spent it paying them back.

Thanks to my parent's too for that! Especially over the years. Thanks to my Automotive Technician Instructors who have let me use the schools facilities to work on and improve my car as well as expand my knowledge in the automotive world itself.

Thanks to Collin Leavitt for inspiring me to finish my goals and work hard at and on what your passionate about. Also, for showing me and alot of other people what a four door sedan is capable of.

Thanks to eBay and the acura-legend.com forums and especially an eBay seller by the name of JDMISME who I get a lot of my stuff from and who is very helpful and informative in his listings. Honest sellers are few and far between these days.

Finally, thanks to Honda Tuning for putting out a quality magazine almost every month dedicated to (usually) quality, well built, original, Honda's.

Ok, i'm gonna get off my soap box now. Sorry if I forgot anyone. Project Legend continues......

Happy Thanksgiving.

Let Me Explain This.......Thoroughly

Project Legend continues with new additions to my/its arsenal. But before I mention them, let me first explain some differences and similarities between my (now two) project builds.

As mentioned before in my previous blog’s beginning, my introduction to the KA7 Legend sedan began many years ago with my initial purchase of my 3rd owned car and first Legend; a 1993 Sherwood Green “Type L” 4dr sedan. As the months and years increased during my possession of the vehicle, so did my affinity towards it. Not only did I search for parts and other modifications for my sedan, but also longed to know more about in general.

In doing so, I learned that in the U.S., between the years of 1994 and 1995, Acura released in limited quantities complete with the updated “Type II” engine making 30 more horsepower than the original C32A1. This was, to say the least, the car for me. Smooth, powerful, luxurious, fun to drive, and most importantly; a Honda. Upon further research, I also found that this particular combination came in a Black on Black package. Black leather interior, with black plastic trim, black carpet, and Honda’s very own “Grenada Black Pearl” paint for the exterior! Visions of my driving the car around, slamming it into gear, and revving the 230+ horsepower engine danced around in my head endlessly to say the least.

As my resolve grew for attaining my interpretation of the vehicular holy grail of my dreams, so did my fascination with my Sherwood Green Type L diminish. It had been in an accident before I bought it and whoever had fixed it, didn’t do a good job of it. The left (driver’s side) A frame was already rusting due to misuse of a caulk near and under the trim above the windshield. The left splash guard was torn in half, exposing to lower part of the engine via the wheel well. The driver side window regulator was broken, and the cars body itself was beginning to rust profusely on and around the rear wheel fenders.

All of that plus so much more….just didn’t seem worth my time to fix. I mean after all, why sink so much money into a dilapidated type L, when the GS 6-speed was what I could be investing in? I could always just sell the type L or give it to one of my siblings. With that as my mindset, I began to accumulate my numerous JDM parts and additions to what would eventually be the culmination of my dream car. I operated under the assumption that once school was paid off; then I would buy the GS and implement my JDM component arsenal.

Then reality set in. Early this year at just under 200,000 miles on the odometer, my car fell victim to the infamous BHG (blown head gasket) that is the bane of the cars C32A engines’ existence. Head work was more expensive than a new engine altogether, so I bought an imported low mileage Type I engine from Japan and had a trusted auto tech put it in for around $1,600.00 altogether. A significant chunk of change to say the least. As well as a monetary investment into the future of my daily driver.

Even before the head gasket went, the rust from the accumulated exposure to the body via the top of the A frame and towards the top of the windshield had allowed outside elements to begin to seep into the interior of the car itself. Basically, when it rained, I got the car washed, or it snowed; I got wet. A minor inconvenience, yes, but throughout the years, it had gotten progressively worse to the point that I would dread driving it in any poor weather condition. I had taken the car to body shops to have this problem remedied previously, and they had all quoted me astronomical prices to fix it because of the mere fact that they would have to take out the windshield to even get at the rust. Then, as luck would have it, during a talk with a close friend of mine who just happened to be in his second year of a two year collision repair/auto body program at the local tech school, we began to talk about him fixing it. He talked to his instructor and got the o.k. to fix the rust around the A-frame. Stoked as I was, I also wanted the rust fixed around the wheel wells. Well this friend of mine, being the great friend that he is, fang-dangled it somehow with his instructor and went ahead and did that too….along with even MORE body work! All in all, he and his team completed upward of three thousand dollars on my rusty dilapidated old 1993 Legend type L for cost (about $700).

During the body work, they noticed that the lower brackets of my USDM headlights were broken as a result of my ramming into a deer a couple of years back and told me that they needed replacement. I took this news as an opportunity to go ahead and order up a set of JDM one piece headlights as well as an OEM fog light switch so as to not have to wire up my fog lights to my headlights (more on that in another post) as well as have him install my JDM Alpha Touring “H” badged grill after painting the trim to match.


Well, I got the car back a couple weeks ago and there is no rust by the wheel wells…


….or by the A frame….


….and my front end is now a Honda.


Great right? Well kind of. What about the rest of my JDM goodies? Should I install them on my daily driver? What about Project Legend? Has my Project Daily Driver become my Project Legend?

At this point…I don’t really know. I’m still set on a 94-95 Blk on Blk 6-speed KA7. It is still what I imagine the end result of what Project Legend will be. For now though. I have to deal with what I have and go from there. Conscious of the present, looking towards the future, while having learned from the past.

Project Legend is a journey.

Slackin' on my bloggin'? Turn it up!

Dang...

Been pretty busy, but I'm done with school now, so theres gonna be more blogs posted definitely sooner than later. I've been soo busy with my daily driver (henceforth dubbed "Project Daily Driver") that I haven't been able to totally focus on Project Legend.

More on that later.

This is now.....

I was watching these on eBay....


But didn't win them.

So I just won these...



But don't exactly have the funds to pay for them....

Crap. More on this on my next blog.
THE PROJECT CONTINUES!

No to the visors, yes to the JDM 1-Piece Headlights

So I didn't win the visors as I had hoped....but I could of. The reason I didn't was because I decided to spend the money on a pair of JDM 1-Piece headlights.



More on this later....

STAY TUNED!

Honda Accesories Window Visors.....

Project Legend Continues with a recent bid on a complete set of Honda's "Accessories" optional KA7 window visors, complete with all mounting tabs!


I've seen these go every now and then on eBay but they are usually in poor condtion and/or are missing mounting tabs. These aren't and the price is decent, so I'm gonna get 'em as long as the price stays reasonable.

Here's a pic....




More coming soon......

Aero-Parts vs Body Kits

While working on a build outline for Project Legend (more on that later...) I was doing my best to carefully explain the differences between Aero-parts and Body kits and was having some problems. I've been busy with school, work, gf, and family stuff as of late but recently came across an article that does an excellent job of explaining what I could not. So I thought I'd post it. The article is written by BEN SCHAFFER for Modified Magazine and can be seen if you click on this link....

http://www.therealjdm.com/archives/TheRealJDM03.pdf

Or you can just read it below, as I've taken the liberty of copy-pasting it to this blog.....

"AMERICANS are well known for their innovation and style. Our penchant for launching new trends can be quite apparent in what Japanese refer to as “spo-com”. Americans took Japanese tuning parts and techniques and transformed them into our own unique style. Without a doubt, the power of our persuasive trendsetting can be attributed to Hollywood which successfully exported the blockbuster, The Fast and The Furious to Japan using a new JDM title, Wild Speed. We effectively took Japanese culture, Americanized it and sold it back to them. Spo-com is a rapidly growing trend in Japan. Many youthful Japanese embrace American spo-com style just as passionately as we emulate Japanese tuning styles. In Japan, spo-com has had a minimal overlap in the performance tuning market.

Currently in Japan performance tuners and spo-com tuners are still considerably segregated. During my last visit to Japan, I was intrigued by a recurring theme in my discussions with various aero parts company executives. They were all surprised by the American market’s desire to mix and match aero parts while in Japan enthusiasts who buy high-end aero parts typically buy the complete kit as a functional system. I’ve been reflecting on why the two markets have such different uses for the same parts. One of the driving factors is that Americans want a unique look for their cars and in doing so they don’t want to be limited to a particular brand. Yet, aero parts from brands like C-West, Ings+1, and J’s Racing are designed as a complete system with maximum performance in mind. Real data is used to fine-tune each component so that they work in unison. When using only a fraction of a complete aero system, as spo-com tuners often do, a car’s aerodynamics will not function as the engineers intended and performance gains may be diminished. Is the difference between spo-com and Japanese style tuning due to different philosophies; perhaps that spo-com is based on image before performance and Japanese tuning based on performance before image? Evaluating terminology may offer insight on the difference of the car cultures: Americans often refer to these products as body kits while Japanese refer to them as aero parts. Or the difference in thought is simply because the average American enthusiast is uninformed on the background of Japanese performance aero products and the functional benefits.

Regardless of reason, the aforementioned executives have a valid perspective. The brands mentioned above, as well as many others, are well known in Japan for their functionality. The functionality of their designs is a result of extensive
development in a Japanese race series titled Super Taikyu. Simply put, Super Taikyu is essentially a street car version of the JGTC. Like most race series, Super Taikyu has a significant number of rules and regulations. Cars are classed in a method that keeps them very similar in power and weight, meaning that aerodynamics plays a key role in the success of each entrant. Super Taikyu is fun to watch because the aero parts and wheels on the cars are often the exact same as cars you see on the street. For example, the Asano Racing DC5 Integra competing in Class 4 uses a N-Spec Ings+1 aero kit which is available to the public. There are also three Honda S2000s with J’s Racing Type S aero parts that are also available for use on street cars. C-West aero parts find their way onto multiple Super Taikyu cars as well. It could be argued that the reason Japanese made aero parts are superior to American made aero parts for Japanese cars is because many Japanese companies use Super Taikyu as a test bed for development. Companies in America are capable of producing the same products with the same technology, but without a popular race series like Super Taikyu to give incentive, it’s rare that a US brand will create innovative aero parts for your Japanese sports car.

Rather than speaking subjectively on the matter, factual test data has been collected by News Publishing in Japan. The publications HyperRev and RevSpeed offer hard facts to convey the effectiveness of various Japanese aero parts. For example, C-West’s FD3S RX-7 is well-documented in HyperRev volume 91. The book provides detailed documentation of wind tunnel testing on the C-West N1 spec aero parts. They discovered that the C-West aero parts offered a 13.62 percent increase in downforce, and a 131.17 percent decrease in lift compared to a stock bodied car. Outside of the wind tunnel on the Tsukuba circuit, they tested the same car with astonishing results. The RX-7 posted a 1:07.39-second lap using stock body panels, compared to 1:05.45 with C-West aero parts installed.

In September 2003, RevSpeed Magazine
performed comprehensive testing on the Ings+1 DC5 Integra. In one test they data logged the car on the MINE Circuit and did a comparison of speed with and without the Ings+1 Z-Power GT wing installed. In every sector of the circuit the wing-equipped car carried faster speeds with a maximum increase of 7 mph during one particular section.

A second test was also done comparing engine bay temperatures with and without the Ings+1 aero hood. The results showed that temperatures averaged out to be 16.2°F cooler with the aero hood installed. Cooler engine bay temperatures can add more horsepower, thus reinforcing the point that aero parts can indeed offer horsepower gains.

Even in the case of simply installing a set of front canards, performance gains can be quite significant. Garage Defend produces a set of twin carbon canards they call Stingray. When tested on the Central Circuit in the wet with
a mildly tuned Honda S2000, installation of the Stingray canards alone resulted in a lap time reduction from 1:51.74 to 1:50.40. This can be directly attributed to the increased downforce over the front wheels, which in turn reduced understeer while improving turn in grip into corners.

Naturally not every driver using functional aero parts will see equivalent lap time reductions. The final result depends on how well the car is driven. Additional downforce is only important if you drive your car fast enough to actually utilize and benefit from the extra traction it provides. Aerodynamic upgrades are not beneficial for everyone, but those who push their cars to the limit should seriously consider functional aerodynamics. For enthusiasts who are less concerned with maximum performance and prefer a highly personalized image for their car, the spo-com style of mix and match customizing cultivates creativity that surpasses the inherent limitations of performance tuning. Members of both tuning religions have one significant common bond, they are all equally proud that the cars they build are a real life representation of their dreams."

JDM This, JDM that, Blah Blah Blah....

A recent search on eBay with the query heading of "JDM Legend" resulted in two Alpha Touring Edition grills, a set of window visors, brushed aluminum door sills, and about 3-4 sets of one-piece headlight popped up. Two uber-rare Mugen wings have been listed in the last two months alone........and thats for a a 12-17 year old car thats not (even to this day) a very popular model.

Allow me to explain from my perspective at least. When I first stardted reading about JDM or at least people who were into it, was a couple of years ago in a Honda Tuning magazine and I believe the hightlights of the article, were that the guys civic had an amber displaying digital clock in it instead of whatever color the the USDM was and up until that point, most people equated JDM with RHD conversions and little fire extinguishers with jpanaese writing on it.

Now the NORM is JDM.

More on this later....

Good News, Bad News, Good News.

Good news is I won the auction. I was running late but my brother came through and helped me win the auction. SO....soon I will be in posession of a bonafide JDM Air Refiner.

Bad news, like I have stated before, is that it isn't the Air Refiner trim that I'm seeking....



I don't know if you can make that out in the picture, but its the one I need (with the woodgrain)

Whatevers whatever though. I got it for a good price and if I happen to come across a woodgrain trimmed unit, I always have the option of re-selling it.


Good News: I was searching through some japanese websites (as I often do) and came across one that lists the steering wheel that I got used awhile ago (refer to prior post) and after googling the Yen to Dollar conversion; found out it costs like $780.00! I got it for like a hundred AND it came with a the hub and wiring/switch that allows for the maintaining of Cruise Control!

Now bear in mind that my steering wheel is used, and the center garnish is faded....


as compared to brand new....



.....but whatever....I don't even mind. I'm actually thinking of a couple of ways as to retaining a new woodgrain center garnish anyways.

Bad news.
You know how when I got that Mugen Wing I had said that I'd only seen one other listed before and I had to jump on the one that I eventually bought? Well, someone else not only listed another one, but this one was in WAY better condition....



and its wiring is completely intact whereas mine is not.




compared to.....


AND however listed it, did so for like $300 bucks + shipping!

So that pretty much it....hopefully my next post won't have any "bad" news in the subject heading....

School is in Session and an Air Refiner is listed.

So school is back in session and more parts for my build have been listed on eBay. Most notably an actual working JDM "Air Refiner" from a KA8,(btw "KA8" is the chassis code for a 91-95 Legend Coupe and NOT a sedan, the sedans chassis code is KA7), complete with remote



and mounting bracket.



Now although I have seen this item listed before; it is on a rare (and i mean RARE) occasion that i do. This particular Air Refiner, however is even more rare than the rest of the ones I've seen because its from and actual JDM Legend (i.e. Legend specific) and as such, is emblazened with the words "air Refiner" in gold eteched italics, whereas with most basic "air Refiners" they have a different font all together.....



Pretty nice right? Well, heres the downsides:

1) Its coming from a KA8 and am not sure whether or not its going to be really hard to fabricate it to work with a a KA7's rear dash storage compartment. Probably not all that hard, but mentionable to say the least.

2) Its not the right color. I'm not sure if this has been stated in a while, but the color combo route that I am going to go in regards to the the interior of PROJECT LEGEND... this combo is black on black leather with Italian burlwood woodgrain, brushed alumninum for trim, and gold lettering accents. Although the lettering matches the theme, the overall color of the plastic is navy-bluish instead of black. The trim around the front of the unit is also not the correct color as it is white/blue marble.....




and NOT the woodgrain accent that I so desire.....

With all that said, based on the prices, the rarity of the item, and the fact that this is such an overlooked JDM item; (being that it isn't really performance oriented) i'm gonna bid on it. And I bid to win. As of right now there is 10 hours left on the auction. I'll let you know how it goes.

Keep those fingers crossed!

JDM Windshield Wiper Activating Rain Sensors..

Due to the fact that I'm still trying to get back on track financially from that Mugen wing, I have been unable to purchase more parts for Project Legend as of late. However, that isn't stopping me from researching and looking for more!

First off, one of my main sources on ebay listed a JDM Honda Accesories optional rain detector/windshield activator for the KA7. Apparently they were making these options for luxury sedans even way back in the early 90's! However, the sensor was the ridiculously gaudy three inch plus plastic/electronic contraption thats made to sit on the top of the hood near the windshield. I had seen it before in a scan of the Accesories brochure but never new what it was for until I saw it on eBay.

I considered it bidding on it....but the looks of the thing on the hood were just so....um..."unsightly"? Yeah...that about does it. I did not like it. Plus it went for like three hundred plus. Amazingly rare? Yes. Worth the three hundo? Nah. I mean, I considered maybe fabricating a newer sensor from a similar system so as to make it still work while being less obvious (and I still might if one comes up again for a better price) but for me......especially right now....its not happening. After the auction ended I thought about copying the pics so as to upload them on this blog and show it to you (the reader), however, I am a procrastinator, and as such, waited far too long and now they don't exist.

Oh well. I learned something new at least.

More blogs coming soon.

-300$ Later....the MUGEN wing/spoiler is MINE!

So, somehow when I was paying the guy (who I bought the Mugen wing via Paypal from) for a partial payment on it, something got screwed up and I ended paying him the whole amount. In doing so, I went negative and have had to borrow money from my little brother just to get back on my feet. So now I'm broke for awhile but on the plus side, I got the wing today and it looks great. Could look a little better as the Mugen emblem isn't in brand new condtion, but in all honesty, the things probably 13+ years old anyway. What-are-you-gonna-do ya know? So thats the deal.

A BIIIIGGGGG piece of the Project Legend puzzle is put into place and the contact that I purchased it from is willing to look out for other parts on my wish list for me. So in that sense a great relationship has been forged (hopefully) and I am now closer to attaining my goals.

Now all I need is more money........

Balling On a Budget

So I talked to the guy selling the spoiler/wing and he said that I could make payments on it so I went ahead and ended the auction with Buy it Now...and boy am I stoked....as well as broke. Yes, these things are not cheap. Mugen/Spoon parts aren't cheap period, but when you apply the rarity factor of finding those same parts that were made exclusively for the KA7 chassis; its just ridiculous. So sacrifices must be made. I am on a deadline.

Project Legend continous....

Mugen Spoiler?!?!?!

Yes, it has happened for the second time ever in my 5 year search....the infamous Mugen spoiler with LED lights. I have only seen one other listed on eBay last year and I watched it go for a measily two hundred bucks. However....it was in a much worse condition and this one is in prime condition.

Problem is....dude has a buy it now price of 5 bills....

So.....we'll see how it goes. I've messeged him about a payment plan as thats all I can really offer at this point.

The other problem is he isn't offering the third brake light block off that the other one I saw had.

Basically, because the spoiler has the LED center strip located so close visually to the third brake light, Mugen offered a small black plastic piece that blocks off the third brake light thats located on the rear dash.

Heres some pics.....








And heres a Mugen brochure pic of what it will look like on the car....



Now I'm not a big spoiler type of person, but this here spoiler is made specifically for the KA7 chassis and as is all Mugen aero parts; wind tunnel tested to be more aerodynamically efficient.

Plus, it just looks dope.


More posts as this story developes!

P.S. I got the MOMO steering wheel last friday and am more than pleased with the results.

Woodgrain GRIPPIN'!

The candy paint aint drippin' but I'm about to be woodgrain gripping. After watching the last couple of items I wished to attain slip through my fingers, I have made the purchase of a steering wheel.

Yep. And rather a bigger piece of the "project Legend" puzzle at that.



Plus, its a MOMO....so you know its legit! Nah but for real, the woodgrain is the ideal hue of what I'm going for and the gold-etched lettering should match my interior quite well....


So I'm stoked. Bought, paid for, and hopefully delivered soon.

So those are the pro's. Now for the cons.....the steering wheel was taken out of a 92 JDM Vigor.....

So hopefully it'll fit on a Legend, or if not, the retro-fitting involved isn't to arduous. If this is the case, selling it is always an option.

With that being said, what I truly hope to attain is the MUGEN Woodgrain steering wheel which would allow me to retain the airbag (wheareas this steering wheel does not) as well as the left audio controls in the center of the steering wheel.

Heres some pics....

That picture I believe was from the Mugen Catalog directly....

Here is what it will should look like in real life..


&....

Happy 4th people. Project Legend Continues! More posts coming soon!

HAN SOLO ALL UP IN THIS!

Yes....you heard correctly, Harrison Ford likes Honda Legend's.

Here are a couple of ad's that he did for Honda's JDM ad campaign.



In all honesty, I don't know what a horse has to do with the Legend but....



So thats it, just a couple of cool video's.

As far as Project Legend goes....I didn't end up buying the Remus Muffler as I just got to a computer when it ended and was not able to bid (yes I snipe my auctions) so thats another let down somewhat. I do like the tone, but I wasn't all that impressed with the visual asthetics in comparison to the OEM Legend tips.

Heres a couple of pics...

Remus Muffler

Six day work weeks? Two Jobs? Skate trips, girlfriends, family and everything else thats been occupying my time lately, hasn't affected my parts hunt. Although they do seem to leave little time for blogging.

On to the parts hunt........


Found a Remus muffler on eBay that I might be buying because I missed that last exaust tip that I was trying to get.....

What does it sound like you ask?



Thats what it sounds like.


More frequent blogs coming soon. Promise promise!

Well well well....been a minute since I posted last, been busy. So busy that I still haven't had time to scan my newly translated brouchures, but whatever. Time is money, and I have little of either these days....but enough about me....on to Project Legend! My man "jdmisme" posted a super rare exhaust tip for Project Legend that I bid on but did not win.......$113 bucks for an exhaust tip? Damn. Yeah, if I could have afforded it, I would've....but sadly as I mentioned before....lack of money. On the bright side, I know that they exist now and intend to add it to my ever growing laundry list of parts needed for Project Legend to be COMPLETE.



Heres some pics......









Dope, right? I know. And heres what he had to say about it......

"JDM Honda Legend Option Chrome
Dual Exhaust Tip!

This auction is for the option chrome dual exhaust tipe from a 91-95 Series JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) Honda Legend. This particular tip was taken from a KA8.

I have been told that some USDM Legends came with this option but were few in numbers. This is a nice OEM item for those of you who prefer the OEM look or are looking for a few extra points at a show..."

Which is exactly what I'd like to have an advantage in.....points in the shows.

Oh well.

Life continues.

JDM Brochure Swap

Been on the Ack Legend forums and arranged a swap of some JDM brochures. Kind of.....I have two that I am currently getting tranlated by Noriko Murai....a Japanese contact of mine. So I mentioned to some Legend owners on the forums that I was getting this done and was converting them to PDF files so that I could upload them. They wanted me to hook them up when I was done and I wasn't with that. So I mentioned a trade. They were down and even posted pics of some brochures and manuals that I don't have....

So I'm just waiting to get mine finished.

More updates soon.

Step Your Game Up

While surfing the forums lately, I came across some unsettling truths in regards to my plans for Project Legend. A big one was that those same center consoles and Navigation trim sets are being imported in bulk to the U.S.

Secondly, someone has already imported and installed rear heated/reclining seats into a USDM Legend. This same person has also installed many of the same JDM mods that I have had planned for years and already have the same parts for. Props to him most definitely for doing it first, however its somewhat discouraging. However, instead of letting it discourage me, I've decided to use these facts as motivation. With the knowledge about the JDM counterparts of the Legend becoming more abundantly accessible, more and more legend owners are beginning to see the light as well as make power moves to incorporate these ideas of transference into a reality. They are connecting the dots and putting together the same pieces of the puzzle that I am...

That’s the part which bothers me. Not that they are doing it to begin with, just that they are accomplishing my goals before ME! While the idea of creating a USDM car with all or mostly JDM parts is certainly not new, its impact in the Legend community has been, for the most part, unfelt. That is until recently. The "JDM" scene has become quite common place within the US market in the last couple of years. In effect, this has both lowered (somewhat) the prices of imported rare JDM parts as well as making it harder for a project car to really stand out on its own. Rarer parts need to be sourced, cleaner builds need to happen. Which equals more work, more money, and more connects in the industry in order to make my dream (*ahem* Project Legend *ahem*) come true!

So that’s that and I need to get back on track. I’ve got to get my engine paid off and get out and get those pieces to the puzzle people......other people have been looking at the top of the box besides me.

11:14 PM 4/10/07

After watching the navigation trim and center console on ebay stay at $100 with $160 shipping to the U.S., I seriously thought about purchasing said item. However, once it jumped pass $300 I decided that was just a little too pricey. I just checked my eBay accnt. today, I saw that the final bid went for $520. Plus the shipping, so damn near 7 hundred for this wasn't really in my price range. Crap. Oh well, I do have a new Type 1 engine that I have to pay for in my daily driven Type L......and I am able to take some solace in that the valve covers that came with it are JDM, which puts me one step closer to Project Legend being completed. Not as a big of a step as getting the center console and navigation trim.....but a step none the less.

The left valve covers are the same, but the USDM right valve covers....


Don't have the big ol' Honda "H" on them while the the JDM ones do.

JDM Center console and navigation trim

Might be bidding on a JDM Center console and navigation trim off of ebay.....couple of things wrong with it......well see.

Transmissions Final Exam:Written

Today I took my final written exam for my transmission class and afterward reviewed the April 2006 issue of Honda Tuning which features Pascales's Legend with the 3.5 swap from a '98 RL. In doing so, I couldn't help but notice how much the performance aspect of his car has dominated over everything else. Miata yellow painted exterior with a Black/Tan Leather Interior? AND he got in a magazine! Don't get me wrong, I'm down for Legends to be featured in any publication, but why would he let them take pictures of spraypainted black plywood in his trunk? To anyone reading this, let it be known that I'm not hating....this is constructive criticism at its most honest. If we as Legend owners are to be acknowledged within the tuner market and respected in any car scene, we must not succomb to mexican paintjobs and shoddy spraypaint work. There is just SO much that can be done with the car as a whole and so little that people do. Throwing on shiny rims and a loud stereo system is just so high school.

Still, 309 WHP kinda makes up for it.....

Read the article yourselves!

Intentions....

Let me begin by saying the intent of this blog is to chronicle the amassing of parts, daily thoughts, and the trials and tribulations of completing Project Legend. What exactly IS Project Legend? Oh, not so much in the grand scheme of life, but to me; it’s a large piece of my life. It is best explained, however, in a "manifesto" if you will, that I have drawn up through the last four plus years from researching the KA7 chassis and what exactly I intend to create based on that knowledge.

PROJECT LEGEND MANIFESTO:

Project Legend is an on-going build of Honda’s KA7 chassis that will culminate into a supreme realization of what I believe the 91-95 Legend should be. This sedan must utilize only the greatest components and accessories manufactured for the KA7 chassis by Honda for its three domestic markets, (JDM, EDM, & USDM) as well as Honda (Legend) specific aftermarket manufacturers such as Spoon, Mugen, etc. In its completion, the car must exude exclusive style, elevated handling performance, reliable above average wheel horsepower, as well as legendary Honda refinement.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
.My name is not as important as is the purpose of this blog. The content involved in this blog is not so much about me as a person as it is about the car itself. What IS important is how my ideas and the events involving me have shaped this project into what it is today as well as what it will eventually become.

16 AND BEYOND
.I've never really been a "car guy." I think I’m beginning to become one but I definitely wasn't one growing up. At sixteen years of age, my goal was just to own a working vehicle to get me out of my parent’s house period. This goal was accomplished in the form of a very rusty, very automatic 1985 Toyota Corolla. Pretty much your basic P.O.S. first car beater.....and beat it I did. So much so that I deprived it of oil to the point that it threw a rod and became oh so much scrap metal within 6 months of owning the damn thing.

After that disaster, I promptly took out a loan for an even bigger piece of crap; albeit newer. This P.O.S. money pit came in the form of a 1991 Geo Storm GSI. This car would become an embodiment of the very thing that would disgust me to this day......a mexican-mobile, an experiment in rice, a car that was as rusty as it was off-white. 5% tints, blue flame dice, blue flame throw pillows in the back, blue flame steering wheel covers, floor mats, neon shift knob, huge subwoofers enclosed in horribly blue tacky stitched carpeted trim......bad times all around.

This car was also my first experience into manual transmissions as well as police officer run-ins.

Ticket upon ticket and one expensive repair after another, led to the subsequent end of my driver’s license's validity as well as my current entrenchment of debt. After I finally blew up that engine after three years of abuse, I decided it was time for a little maturing into the realm of sophistication and class in the automotive world. Not to mention less attraction to the nefarious, bacon gristle sweating, and donut scarfing scourge that IS the police department. I basically wanted less rice and more nice. I liked the shape of the "Acura" Vigor’s a lot as well as the Legend's but after researching and comparing of the engines; I went with the Legend. After watching a couple on eBay, I noticed one going for $4,025.00 (reserve) that was ending soon and promptly placed my bid; winning the auction. From there, I filled out the appropriate loan paper work and had my brother drive me five hours to go pick it up. In doing so I became the proud owner of my very first 1993, 3.2 Liter, SOHC, Type I, "Acura" type L sedan.

Project Legend began from that day on and since its inception, it has continually grown into what it is today.....

So far; a dream and a collection of parts.